Which? Drops £480M Chip Royalties Lawsuit Against Qualcomm
UK consumer group withdraws massive lawsuit alleging Qualcomm overcharged millions of iPhone and Samsung users on chip royalties.
Qualcomm just caught a major break. The UK consumer association Which? is pulling the plug on its lawsuit against the chipmaker, according to Qualcomm.
The case was a big one. Which? had sought £480 million on behalf of 29 million iPhone and Samsung users in the UK. The allegation? That Qualcomm abused its dominant market position to force inflated chip royalties — costs that ultimately got passed down to consumers.
The lawsuit went through the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) before Which? decided to withdraw. Qualcomm announced the development on Tuesday.
The case centered on whether Qualcomm's licensing practices around its mobile chips constituted anti-competitive behavior. With the withdrawal, those 29 million consumers won't be seeing any payouts.
For Qualcomm, it's one less legal headache in an ongoing global debate over how chipmakers license their technology.